Mason: Peyton Manning and Ed Reed are the NFL's best players

Derrick Mason made his regular appearance on “The Norris & Davis Show” on 105.7 The Fan on Monday morning, and since NFL Network will release on Sunday the top 10 players of 2011 according to a poll of players, Mason was asked by hosts Ed Norris and Steve Davis to name his pick for the best player in the NFL.

The Ravens wide receiver said he based his rankings not on what statistics players racked up in 2010 or what accolades they got, but by what it would mean if you removed a player from his team and if it “changes that team dramatically.” Mason believes only one other player can hang with Manning in that regard: teammate Ed Reed.

“Another guy I look and say changes the scope of what they do is a guy like Ed Reed,” he said. “You take Ed Reed off of our defense -- not to say that our defense is not going to do well; we’re good because have good players -- but if you take him off the back end, it changes it somewhat and it showed last year. Once you insert him, quarterbacks are scared to throw the ball deep down the field.”

Two Ravens -- Reed, a Pro Bowl free safety, and linebacker Ray Lewis -- are ranked in the top 10, and Mason thinks Lewis will be ranked ahead of Reed because of his reputation and NFL resume, though Mason said he wouldn’t be surprised either way. We know Mason has Reed ahead of Lewis, but he didn’t reveal his full list.

Maybe because he couldn’t come up with 100 names for it.

“I think I ranked maybe 20 guys, and that was it. But I wasn’t sitting down and ranking no 100 guys,” the veteran joked on The Fan.

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